Homemade Tomato Basil Soup

Want to warm up fast?  Eat some homemade soup.  I could eat soup everyday and never get tired of it.  It's easy to make, warms you up from your head to your toes and fills you up.  Add a side of crusty bread to soup and you have a great healthy meal.  I have a lot of favorite soups, Tomato being one of them.  Served up with just bread or a grilled cheese sandwich it's a comfort food for me.  I made this Tomato soup yesterday, it was rich, savory, fast and easy.  Recipe below.

I used crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock, you could also use chicken stock.  Minced some garlic and diced an onion.

 Sauteed the garlic and onion in olive oil and then added the rest of the ingredients.

Toss in some fresh basil, stir it all up, and let it cook for 2 1/2 hours.

 Here comes the fun part.  I used an emulsion blender (stick blender) right in the pot to give the soup a really smooth consistency, it also thickens the soup.

 Tasty, flavorful Tomato soup. I added some croutons on top.  You can also add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and dinner is served. Another great way to serve this soup is with a grilled cheese sandwich or grilled cheese croutons.  All you have to do is make a grilled cheese sandwich, cut it into small, bite size pieces and sprinkle them on top of the soup, can you say Y-U-M-M-Y.

Homemade Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

6 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 - 32 oz. boxes of vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

4 - 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

8 - 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper
2 tablespoons of sugar (cuts down the acid in the soup)

Croutons

Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook just until tender, about 15 minutes.  Add the garlic, and cook for about a minute.  Stir in the stock, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and sugar.  Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours (see note). Serve with croutons and Parmesan cheese.

NOTE:  After cooking the soup for about 2 hours, I used an emulsion blender to make it smoother and thicker.  If you don't have one, you don't really need it for this soup.  PLEASE SAFETY FIRST - You could also use a blender, but be sure to cool the soup first before putting it in the blender, the heat will shatter your pitcher whether it is glass or plastic! (you will then have to reheat the soup before serving).  If you do have an emulsion blender, read instructions carefully before using it in the pot of soup. After using the blender continue to cook for the last half hour so everything blends together.